[Archive] Recalling a Translocal Past: Digitising Thai-Mon palm-leaf manuscripts

Drawing your attention to this archive of Mon palm-leaf manuscripts that were digitised under a grant by the British Library. Six collections of manuscripts sourced from several temples in the Bangkok region are found here. Thanks to Dr Patrick McCormick for the link – a link will also be added to the Resources page.

Aims and objectives

The Mons of Thailand and Burma were regional cultural and religious intermediaries and supported a palm leaf manuscript tradition into the 1920s. No official Thai body has ever digitized these manuscripts. Among them are texts unknown in Burma, which are key to understanding recent history and the Mon role in intellectual history. The collections have been exposed to vermin and flooding. Disinterest has also led to their destruction. Today, young Thai Mons are interested in their heritage and the time is ripe for this project.

Outcomes

Over the course of two months (January 6-March 5 2019), the research team gathered the names of some 28 Mon temples/collections in and around Bangkok. This was done by word of mouth from the initial temples visited and through conversations with local experts. Of the 28 temples, a total of 25 were visited; the remaining three were far away from Bangkok in places like Chiang Mai, some 400 miles north. Six temples did not have, or no longer had, Mon-language manuscripts.

Source: Recalling a Translocal Past: Digitising Thai-Mon palm-leaf manuscripts | Endangered Archives Programme